St Andrew’s Churchyard is a historic burial ground and an important green space in the centre of Newcastle. The graveyard, one of the oldest in the city, is home to many famous Victorian figures, including glass engraver Ralph Beilby. The leading 18th Century composer Charles Avison who spent most of his life in Newcastle is buried here too. The churchyard includes many large mature trees, and a wealth of old gravestones, some of which have been used to pave the walkways around it. Remnants of the late 13th Century town wall survive in the churchyard {1}. Various 16th century wills included the request that the deceased was to be buried at St. Andrew's - Humphrey Carr, yeoman, 1559; Roger Resh, 1573; John Thompson, 1578; William Hall, 1578; John Bird, 1578 and in 1646, Hugh Brown, kouchman to Charles I. In the floor of Trinity Chapel is the 14th century family vault of Sir Adam de Athol. He apparently gave the Town Moor to the Burgesses of Newcastle. The inscribed memorial brass which covered the ledger stone has been removed. The outline of Sir Adam in his armour with sword and dagger, with his feet resting on a lion, can still be discerned. Also in Trinity Chapel are Nicholas Fenwick, merchant adventurer, died 1725; Thomas Winship, tanner and Christopher Rutter, baker and brewer. These people lived at Alderman Fenwick's House on Pilgrim Street. Beneath the 19th century organ is the burial of William Newton (1730-1798), builder and architect. In the chancel is the ledger stone to Cuthbert Lambert (1701-1772), surgeon and William Reed, gaoler at New Gate prison (died 1683). The churchyard was reduced in size around 1280 to accommodate the town wall. In 1377 the Bishop of Durham authorised the chaplains to 'erect honest buildings in the churchyard and to apply the rents and profits to the uses of the chapel'. The churchyard was reduced in the 1780s when the vestry was built. In 1783 parishioners purchased a piece of waste ground on the west side of the churchyard to enlarge the burial ground. It was consecrated by the Bishop in 1786. In 1818 part of the town wall was taken down, including the Andrew Tower. The vault of the tower had been used as a charnel house. The churchyard was extended and enclosed with a wall topped by railings. By 1825 the churchyard was 4342 square yards. The widening of Gallowgate in 1895 reduced the churchyard by 220 square yards. The human remains and 14 gravestones were moved to St. Andrew's Cemetery in Jesmond. In 1907, 327 gravestones were recorded in the churchyard. In 1960 the parish hall further reduced the churchyard. Prisoners executed at the gallows at Gallowgate were buried in St. Andrew's. In 1650 14 supposed witches and a wizard were hanged at Gallowgate and buried at St. Andrew's in unmarked graves. Notable graves - John Graham Clarke (1735-1818), coal owner and merchant of Kenton Lodge later Fenham Hall (ledger stone in the path); Charles Avison (1709-1770), composer - the tombstone was renewed in 1890 by public subscription. A commemorative plaque was erected on the churchyard wall by the Avison Society. Ralph Beilby (1743-1817) silversmith, jeweller and engraver; William Chapman (1750-1832) who patented the coal drop around 1800; Luke Clennell (1781-1840) artist; James Archbold (1781-1849) slater, tiler and limeburner; family vault of Aubone Surtees (1777-1859) wine and spirits importer (tombstone in the path); Mary Turner (1760-1797) first wife of Rev. William Turner; Jane Smith (1737-1820) step-daughter of John Wesley (table tomb) and Richard Swarley (1739-1807) publican of Black Boy Inn, Groat Market. Dated C12th.

The first club to lease this site was Newcastle Rangers on 16 October 1880. The pitch was just a rough patch of grass with a notorious slope measuring 18 feet from north to south, where local butchers were still able to graze animals before being led to slaughter. The pitch was bumpy and often muddy. Newcastle Rangers left in 1882. West End FC leased the site from William Neasham of Leazes Terrace in May 1886. In 1892 West End FC fell into debt and the lease was taken over by East End FC. Their debut in September 1892 was a friendly against Celtic. In December 1892 they adopted the name Newcastle United, like the golf club across the town moor. There were few facilities for fans and overcrowding caused near disasters. Crowds reached up to 30,000. In 1894 the team changed its strip from red and white to black and white, and the nickname Magpies was adopted. In 1898 local residents lobbied the council to evict Newcastle United from the grounds because of the 'intolerable nuisance' of match days. But in 1899, an extra four acres of land was leased from the grounds freeholders (the City Council and the Freemen of the City), the pitch was moved westwards to allow more standing room on the Leazes Terrace side and terracing cut into banks at the Leazes Park End and Leazes Terrace side. A 1901 film clip from the Mitchell & Kenyon film archive and a postcard from around 1904 shows the first stand on the Barrack Road side. It was demolished in 1905. In 1905 there was a £16,000 rebuilding programme, by the Clyde Structural Iron Company, overseen by Alexander Blair, Glasgow engineer. Three sides of banking were expanded and terraced, and a new West Stand built. This had 4655 seats and a rooftop press box under an arched central gable. The capacity of St. James Park was now 60,000. In 1905 Newcastle United won the first of three League titles. Between 1905 and 1911 they reached five FA Cup Finals. Between 1916-1919 several ladies football teams made up of workers from local munitions factories played at least 26 games at St. James Park. The Football Association banned them in 1921. In 1922 United tried and failed to buy the freehold. The Freemen agreed to sell, but Newcastle Corporation refused. Alterations and Improvements were carried out by Archibald Leitch, engineer between 1921 and 1929. These included the installation of Leitch patented barriers to replace the wire-rope variety and new tunnels to the players dressing rooms. The Main Stand was modernised and in 1929 a basic roof was built over the Leazes Park end. There were only 5000 seats and 48,000 uncovered standing spaces. Planning permission was refused for covering the east terrace and building a double decker stand at the Gallowgate end. In 1953 floodlights on wooden poles were installed. Newcastle United were the only third division team to have floodlights. In 1958 the wooden poles were replaced by four pylons in each corner, said to be the tallest in Britain. The same year permission for a stand was refused again. United considered moving to Gosforth Park. In November 1967 a model for a completely new St. James' Park was unveiled by Newcastle City Council and Ove Arup. Strawberry Place would become a motorway. There would be an administration block on Strawberry Place and the West Stand would house a sports centre shared with the University of Newcastle. The scheme would cost £2.6 million. The scheme never went ahead because the club did not want to invest in a site with a short lease. In 1971 the City Council gave the club a 99 year lease. In 1973 the £420,000 East Stand by Faulkner Brown Hendy Watkinson Stonor opened. It seated 3400 people. It was a reinforced concrete and steel cantilevered stand. The Safety of Sports Ground Act was passed after 1971 and United had to spend £300,000 reinforcing the crush barriers (they were concrete). In 1978 the roof was taken off the north terrace and a new terrace and foundations for a new North Stand were built. In 1985 the old West Stand was condemned. Demolition started in 1987. Its replacement was designed by Traer Clark Associates, costing £5.5 million and seating 6600 people. It opened in 1988 and was renamed the Jackie Milburn Stand in 1990. Sir John Hall, developer of Gateshead MetroCentre took over control of the club in March 1990. From March 1993 to August 1995 the stadium was redeveloped at a cost of £23.5 million. The 1973 East Stand was retained. The 1988 Milburn Stand was retained but the roof was extended so that all seats were sheltered. Sir John Hall hired Gateshead architects Taylor Tulip and Hunter to design the new work. Hutter Jennings and Titchmarsh were the structural engineers. The builders were Ballast Wiltshier. The new build combined sand coloured blockwork, grey steel cladding and white tubular steel. The north east corner section and Sir John Hall (former Leazes End) Stand were the first to be built in 1993 whilst the south east corner section and Exhibition Stand (named after the sponsors Newcastle Breweries) were completed in late 1994. A south west corner section was the final piece of the jigsaw to open in 1995. The Taylor Report required that terraces had to be phased out by 1994. The new all-seated stadium at St. James Park could seat 36,610. By 1995 there was a waiting list of 20,000 people for season tickets. The new stadium was already too small. Various sites were considered for a new stadium. The favoured scheme was a 70,000 seat stadium on Castle Leazes but these plans were abandoned in 1997 due to opposition by the Friends of Leazes Park. Between June 1998 and August 2000 a new tier was added to the north and west sides and new roofs were built. The contractors were Ballast Wiltshier and the engineers WSP. The extensions, a multi storey car park, the hospitality and conference facilities, restaurant and 90 executive boxes, cost £46 million, and increased capacity to 52,339 (sixth largest club stadium in England).

The interior of Springbank Pavilion, situated in Leazes Park, is interesting. The inside of the pavilion was used as accommodation for bowlers and fishermen. It is designed in an ‘L’ shape, constructed using a wooden frame and set on a stone base. The exterior is painted green and cream, and there are a series of small double windows around the pavilion below the gables.

This building at Forth Banks has undergone significant changes throughout its history. It has strong connections with the old Hawthorn engineering works in the area, and was for a long time a public house. This two storey building was originally the Hawthorn Inn (shown on Ordnance Survey first edition of 1859), and has original tiles which have been rendered. Highly decorative - the decoration looks late C19 or early C20 in date. The Hawthorn Inn was a Vaux pub when its licence was surrendered in 1955. The building became the New Orleans Jazz Club, later an Indian restaurant. It is presently occupied by Sachin’s Restaurant.

Richardson Lodge plays an important role in the form of Leazes Park. The Victorian ‘T’ shaped single storey building has recently been restored. The gable ends have decorative wooden struts, and there is a clock above the entrance doorway.

The public lavatories in the Bigg Market are a local landmark. The circular brick structure is mainly underground and the entrance is reached by a curving stair which follows the curve of the white painted building. The glass roof and central vent are above the ground and these are surrounded by a stone wall and wrought iron railings. Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition of 1896.
The toilets have now been converted into a wine bar, WC Newcastle.

The buildings of Percy Street West are all Georgian brick structures, which are now used as shops and pubs. The designs vary from building to building, although a coherent style is maintained in several of the buildings. Number 79 stands out from the other buildings in the vicinity. It is, like the others, a three storey brick building, however it has ornate stone decoration on its first and second floors. The first floor windows are flanked by stone columns and topped by pediments. The second floor windows also have stone surrounds and the central window is topped by an ornately decorated pediment. The Percy Arms was rebuilt by Ridley, Cutter & Firth of the Manor Brewery in 1898. It still bears a RCF weathervane. In 1938 it passed to Vaux.

The buildings of Percy Street West are all brick structures, which are now used as shops and pubs. The designs vary from building to building, although a coherent style is maintained in several of the buildings. Number 11 stands out from the other buildings in the vicinity. It is a two storey brick building with an attic and stone decoration contrasting with the red brick material. The building is now divided into two shops, but was originally the premises of a carriage works and still bears the sign ‘Carriage Proprietors. T Howe & Co. Carriage Proprietors’. The building is also significant as the original home of the People’s Theatre when it was set up in the early 1900s as the ‘Clarion Dramatic Club’. In 2013 No. 11 is the Magic Box, No. 11A is Salt n' Pepper, Nos. 13 to 21 is Munchies and No. 2 Leazes Park Road is a hairdressers.

This Victorian section of Percy Street West is more elaborate than many of the Georgian buildings on the rest of the street. Despite the buildings being individual, several similar features are carried throughout the group. The section is mostly three storey red brick, although some sections have attics and some have features decorated with red sandstone. The shop fronts are broken by a grey stone carriage arch beneath a two storey canted oriel window, itself below an ornately shaped gable. This gable feature is repeated in a dormer window in another part of the section. No. 101 is presently an estate agent, No. 103 is the Hotspur Public House, Nos. 105-107 is a barber's shop and Nos. 109-111 is M & N News. The Hotspur is a 1901 rebuild of a 19th century pub (the Cock and Anchor). It was owned by W J Sanderson of the Haymarket Brewery, then Newcastle Breweries in the 1890s. It included an upstairs club room for smokers. In 1993 the Hotspur was given a traditional makeover by T & J Bernard for Scottish & Newcastle. The side doors are now sealed and only the middle door is in use.

The original buildings in Leazes Park add to the character and quality of the park. The Education Centre is an L shaped wood and brick single storey building. The wooden features are painted green and cream in contrast with the red of the bricks. As well as serving an important function as an Education Centre the building is also important as it is used by the park gardeners.